Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is set to give an update on construction on the Gardiner Expressway.
Chow will hold a news conference this morning alongside Ontario’s transportation minister. The pair is expected to announce a plan to speed up efforts to rehabilitate the expressway.
During an interview marking her one year in office, Chow teased a construction update, telling Breakfast Television she understands how congestion on the Gardiner has been frustrating for drivers.
“We’re working to speed up the rebuild of the Gardiner. We’re not just fixing it; we’re rebuilding it. We’re looking at making it faster… we’re working with the province to make the construction faster,” Chow said.
“People are stuck there. I get it.”
Construction has hampered Toronto traffic for months
The six-phase rehabilitation project was approved by Toronto City Council between 2014 and 2016.
From mid-April to mid-2027, the Gardiner will be reduced to two lanes in each direction between Dufferin and Strachan with intermittent additional lane closures as required. The eastbound on-ramp from Lake Shore Boulevard east of Jameson Avenue will also be closed.
In 2026, the Gardiner will be fully open to accommodate increased traffic during Toronto’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup.
The city has said route diversions, traffic agents, adjustments to signal timings and other technology will be used to improve congestion around the construction zones.
According to data from Geotab Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), an Oakville-based technology company that, with the help of artificial intelligence, leverages advanced data analytics to enhance fleet performance, travel times on the Gardiner have increased up to 250 per cent in the morning rush hour (7 to 10 a.m.), and 230 per cent in the afternoon rush hour.
Since repairs began on the Gardiner in late March, commercial drivers spend 80 per cent more time on the Gardiner per day, and the top three alternate routes—Harbour Street, Lakeshore Boulevard, and Cherry Street—have seen an average traffic increase of 43 per cent.
With files from Patricia D’Cunha of CityNews